


The Girl from Ipanema

by luxaethereus



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Feels, Enemies to Friends to Lovers.. kind of., F/F, Fluff and Angst, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Jihyo and Mina will appear., Nerdiness, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Teen and Up Audiences because it deals with a sleep disorder.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-05-30 16:46:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15100916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luxaethereus/pseuds/luxaethereus
Summary: "But I watch her so sadlyHow can I tell her I love herYes I would give my heart gladlyBut each day, when she walks to the seaShe looks straight ahead, not at me."A young and lovely girl walks the streets and beaches of Brazil. And with each step, Jeongyeon feels like she is staring at the sun. A sun that might just hate her.





	1. Snooze Button

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys. This is my first story here. Please, bear with me when it comes to mistakes (I do not have a beta reader) and enjoy as much as you can.  
> Thank you Junie for helping me. I will try to update as soon as possible. 
> 
> If you'd like to talk about the story, I invite you to do so in the hashtag #TWICETGFI

The alarm went off. Jeongyeon opened her eyes, not completely but enough to get identify where she was. _Where’s the fucking phone?_ she thought as she extended her right arm, that only reached to touch a soft cushion. It’s not time yet.. while she lifted herself up. A deep breath in..

“Why do I keep falling asleep on the sofa?!?!”

The phone was still beeping, and just before the vibrations could drop it to the ground, the girl caught it. A swift unlock of the phone let her see the alarm – come on, out; after turning it off, only the main screen - with a photo of her labmates - remained. Jeongyeon herself was in the photo, wearing her coat and some gloves and making a weird face - she had a hard time smiling on photos.

Forty minutes later, she was sliding her security card on the laboratory’s door. The building itself wasn’t very big, and it only had three floors. Built 20 years prior with university funds, Jeongyeon had walked past it most of the days in her college years, both drunk and sober. Now she worked there full-time. It wasn’t too bad, all things considered. It was laboratory work: reports, examining things, writing, and more reports.

Easy enough for someone with her education.

 _Too easy sometimes._ She tried to erase that thought of her head. _It’s a good job. You like it. You are with your friends. It will get exciting. Eventually._ She left the bag on her table and made her way to the common area, where the director gathered everyone each day to report about work.

Most of her coworkers where already there, standing and waiting in front of the whiteboard as if they were about to ship a new product in a few minutes. Jeongyeon found a long-haired redhead, shorter than her. She put her hand over the dyed hair, messing it up. After a huff, the sleek girl turned around, slapping the blonde on her arm.

“Why do you always beat me up?!”

“Why do you always mess up my hair?!” the other one almost shouted. “I hate you.”

“I hate you too, Nayeon.” Jeongyeon said, whispering. They were at work, after all. Nayeon stuck her tongue out.

“You didn’t read my message this morning, did you fall asleep again?”

“What- No- I- What’ Absolutel- How do you think I would- This is too rude Nayeon, even- even- for you. I told you I wasn’t going to lose your bet. I would I. I would never. I told you I would not fall asleep again.”

“Ok, so you fell asleep.” Nayeon mumbled, bringing her phone out.

“What are you doing?” Jeongyeon could easily sneak a peek on Nayeon’s phone with her height, and it showed a reminder: “get money from bet! <3”

“Glad you got some sleep, though. The director is giving someone a big project, that’s why everyone is so restless today.”

The oldest looked around, inviting Jeongyeon to do the same. It was true. Everyone was playing with their feet or their hands, making sounds with pens. Even Jihyo, who was two rows behind them, was tapping on her leg. The room went silent for a moment, and everyone turned their heads, staring at the same woman.

“Hi! Hello, yes, hello. Hope you had a good rest yesterday. We’ll be having a bunch of tasks today, which we'll complete soon enough. I know it’s a bummer, but we are progressing and if we give it a push, we will receive further help from the uni board.”

The director took some air, putting her hands on her hips. Even with her position, Jeongyeon saw her more as a friend than as an actual boss. She turned around, and began writing on the whiteboard.

_It would be weird for a shiba to be my boss.. but this is very close._

“Ah, Jeongyeon! Come here.” Sana removed her glasses, which were only a frame. She had another pair on her jacket for reading, but Jeongyeon had never seen her use those. Sana put her right hand on Jeongyeon’s shoulder, and the other on her hand, bringing her to the spotlight of the room.

_Something weird is happening. She’s doing something weird. Please stop._

“As you know, two of our researchers will travel to Brazil to collect samples for our new project.” Jeongyeon’s face turned to Sana.

_Don’t do it._

The Japanese woman directed her gaze at her. “And the head researcher for this project will be Professor Yoo Jeongyeon herself.” Sana was nodding as she said each word. “Why do I have to go?” Jeongyeon tried to mumble something in between the applause of her coworkers. Sana didn’t answer, waiting for the noise to calm down. Jeongyeon tried to find Nayeon, who was smiling without showing her teeth.

The fucking bet.

“The other researcher we have selected will act as an assistant.” Her words got louder, trying to stay above the noise, “That assistant will be..”, Sana extended her arm, pointing out somewhere in the crowd, “the intern Son. Number 23492”

A few claps here and there appeared while everyone looked to their sides, looking for the intern. “Guys. Where is she?” Sana inquired, and some in the crowd began clapping harder, with everybody else joining in.

_Son? Son… Who’s Son.._

Jeongyeon could see that two people were euphoric. One of the them, the taller one, was smiling. On the other side, a ginger. The ginger was pointing at someone, definitely, but even from where Jeongyeon stood she could not see who the woman was. Sana tapped her shoulder, trying to gain her attention.

“She is the best intern we have. And she will be useful to you.. this is a biggie.” The japanese woman was her friend, but more than that she was her boss. And the situation at the laboratory wasn’t easy. Jeongyeon had known about the budget cuts, and the rumours about layoffs were already spreading. This had been the only project accepted by the university, and the continuity of most of the jobs were in danger if this didn’t improve its reputation.

“Sana, she’s here, she’s here.” The short haired girl returned to reality, having the three friends in front. The ginger was Dahyun, a close friend of hers and Nayeon - even with the age difference - Tzuyu was the other one. Taller than Jeongyeon, she was friendly towards everybody, kind of like a kid. Still, her job was the classification and safekeeping of any file. Not a scientist, but she was the most powerful person in the building, being above Sana.

The middle one was Son. _Chaeyoung. Of course. Of course she is. Exactly her, she had to have Son as a surname. It could not be Kim, Choi, or whatever the fuck that wasn’t Son. It had to be her.._ She remembered seeing her in the same room as her and hanging around Tzuyu and Dahyun. Long haired, moles in places that Hollywood made famous.. and an adorable height.

She also remembers how many times on average Chaeyoung likes to roll up her coat sleeves. Three times.

She remembers that Chaeyoung always writes two versions of the reports: one with drwings and one without. Chaeyoung, then, saves the original report on her bag, looking around so nobody sees her (but Jeongyeon does).

She remembers how Chaeyoung legs always tend to kick a bit, since the chairs are too high for her feet.

Jeongyeon can also call back exactly how it smells every time Chaeyoung walks behind her. Like autumn. A bit of white rose and also a bit of honey.

But what Jeongyeon remembers the most is all the stories she’s heard about her. And they were not good.

She would forget them, remembering instead the way her chest beat being the closest she had ever been to her.


	2. Feet off the Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Come woman if your life beats  
> Those we buried with the house keys  
> Smoke and feather where the fields are green  
> From here to eternity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you have the second chapter. It's a bit shorter, but trust me, there is a reason for that.  
> I will reiterate my thanks to Junie for helping me, and as always, there will be an update next week.
> 
>  
> 
> Again, if you'd like to talk about the story, I invite you to do so in the hashtag #TWICETGFI

Microbial Aspects of Beach Sand Quality. Interesting. They couldn’t do a project about dolphins, or sharks, or the sea. It’s sand instead.

Chaeyoung was reading the project presentation. A single paragraph containing no more than 300 words. They repeat three times that we are going to Brazil to gather samples. This lab is done. The director’s office wasn’t so bad, at least. She was sitting in a leather chair, in front of Sana, who was talking to Jeongyeon, the one next to her.

Why did I have to be paired with her.. Chaeyoung stole a glance towards the older; she was fidgeting with her feet - that unlike Chaeyoung's, could reach the ground. Jeongyeon hadn’t introduced herself, talked to her or looked at her at any point of the meeting. Although it’s not like Chaeyoung herself had tried to start any conversation. They were there to do their jobs, and it was enough for her dealing with the type of person that Jeongyeon was. Or heard she was.

“Sana.” The japanese woman was a bit startled. She expected Jeongyeon to say something, but not Chaeyoung. “I don’t mind doing this project. But honestly it looks pretty half-assed.” For the first time, Jeongyeon stared at her, her mouth open, almost gasping for air. Sana inhaled, smiling. “It is, it is. I wrote about fifteen possible projects in a night, Chaeyoung. It is half-assed. I don’t know if this place is going to last or not. We needed funds, fast, and this is what worked for the ministry. I know it’s not your thing.”

“What’s her thing?” Jeongyeon asked. Chaeyoung rolled her eyes and stroked her long hair.

“Chaeyoung is a marine biologist. One of their best students, if I remember well.” Jeongyeon grimaced after hearing Sana’s words. “You want me to work with a marine biologist? A biologist, Sana?” She pointed out the word with a bit of desdain.

“You got a problem with that?” Chaeyoung asked, smirking towards the woman next to her.

“Well,” Jeongyeon freezed when she felt Chaeyoung staring at her, “I studied geology, so I think that,” Jeongyeon enjoyed and hated the sensations in her body, “we might not work together well there in Brazil.” She hid her hands below her thighs, not daring to look at Sana. The japanese woman was a mind reader most of the time, and she didn’t need that right now.

A laugh invaded the room, and Chaeyoung hit her own leg in amusement. “Don’t worry. Your reputation precedes you, I’m sure you will be fine.”

Jeongyeon didn’t feel her heartbeat this time, just a sting.


	3. Only With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I didn't not know yet  
> Just how I would get  
> Distance makes me wonder  
> Playing this game  
> Of matter and space  
> Say it will bring us closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter! Thank you for waiting a little bit more, been a busy week thanks to TWICE themselves.  
> As always, there will be an update next week.  
> Remember to stream Dance The Night Away M/V and Dance Practice. The girls are working their hardest and don't you think the song is amazing?
> 
> Again, if you'd like to talk about the story, I invite you to do so in the hashtag #TWICETGFI

She had always enjoyed rocks. When they were five years old, Jeongyeon and Momo would go together to the beach, to collect rocks. Momo ended up getting the shiny ones, preferring the ones that had already been shaped by the waves. Jeongyeon, instead, would prefer the ones closest to the hills, the ones with bugs walking on them, dirty with the soil and far away from the water of the sea.

And she always carried one with her, one that Momo herself gifted to Jeongyeon. You might think a rock is a weird gift, and it was.

(A twelve year old Momo cupped it with her two hands, and gave it a little kiss.

“Here, for you, Jeongie.” She extended her arms towards Jeongyeon - who rocked a very long hair at that time - and smiled. “I know you wanted to go to the store and try the new lego, but we can do that when we get back home, okay?”. Jeongyeon was certain she had seen this rock before, but how could she be when all rocks looked the same to her?

She grabbed the small, teal coloured stone and looked at it. It was pretty, and shiny. The clouds covered most of the sky, but the rock still shone.

“But Momo, there are many rocks like this one here.” Jeongyeon was pouting a bit, with the left side of her mouth inclined. She knew Momo hated seeing her sad or crying, so she tried to contain herself.

“No! There isn’t!” the japanese girl whispered shouting, trying not to wake up their parents who were sleeping on their hammocks. “You know what this is, right?”. Her broken Korean made Jeongyeon laugh. “No, tell me.”

“This is the first rock I got in the first weekend we all came together to this beach.”

Momo grabbed the rock from Jeongyeon’s hands, and motioned her arm to the sky, letting the sun hit the rock just as it was getting out of the clouds.

“And it is almost as shiny as you.”)

Since then, she would always carry it around. Jeongyeon had lost it a few times, and always cried when it happened, so her family and Momo helped her everytime the rock went missing. She had always the dancer at her side. She looked at the screen. Only a few minutes to embark. They’d make a stop in Vancouver, and then directly to Sao Paulo.

Someone hit her on the back.

“Jeongyeon! You are going to Brazil, you should be looking more lively don’t you think?” Momo stared at her, smiling. Jeongyeon had told her about Chaeyoung, and Momo had guessed enough thanks to Jeongyeon's meticulousness. She had insisted to accompany her to the airport, just to see what she called “our country’s model crush”.

Chaeyoung hadn’t expected anyone besides her and Jeongyeon, so when Momo bowed enthusiastically she was a lot for words. Not that it was needed, the japanese woman already knew her name. And she suspected she knew more than just that. Chaeyoung had bowed respectfully, smiling and trying to carry on with the small talk, which ended up just being about food. She hadn’t said anything to Jeongyeon, who constantly looked the other way, just glancing towards them when Momo got her attention.

“Jeongie, I’m going to grab a bite just before you go, ok? I’m grabbing Chaeng with me, I can’t read Korean well!” Momo blurted, instantly locking arms with Chaeyoung - who Momo had gotten used to call Chaeng in about 10 minutes, and dragged her to the closest bar.

After calling one of the waiters, Momo stared at Chaeyoung and smirked.

“What?” inquired the latter. Momo smirked again, gathering her hair in a ponytail. One of her earrings fell as the japanese was tying everything up, but Chaeyoung caught it mid-air in a rather clumsy way, almost falling herself. The older finished her task, and with a low “thanks” she grabbed the piece from Chaeyoung’s hands, not looking at anything other than the korean’s eyes the whole time.

Chaeyoung was about to ask what was happening again, when Momo opened her mouth.

“You know, you seem very different from what people say.”

“What do people say?”

Momo ignores her question, and when she gets the attention of the waiter she asks for a sandwich. Chaeyoung waits for an answer, but no sound gets out of Momo for a few minutes.

“Look, I’m just Jeongyeon’s friend. You are gonna be with her for a few days, so try to take care of her. She’s a nice person.”

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes. It was as if the universe was in a mission to show her how good of a person Jeongyeon could be. She grabs her bag and her suitcase, huffing and mouthing something that Momo doesn’t get to hear. But the small woman doesn’t get far enough before she feels someone pulling her.

“I know what people say about Jeongyeon. And trust me, I know what people say about you.” Momo had lengthened that last word, and Chaeyoung hated herself for noticing the difference in tone.

“What I mean is that you keep an open mind with her. We are not what people say about us, isn’t that right?” Chaeyoung couldn’t disagree.

She turned her head around, looking at Jeongyeon, who was staring at them until she felt the youngest eyes on her, promptly getting her phone out of the pocket in an attempt to look at anywhere else other than those eyes.


	4. Drowning in the Blue Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carve my lungs out to  
> Fill with these thoughts of you  
> The whole world is flooding  
> Like the dream where i  
> Was your mermaid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Another chapter here. The fourth one, already.  
> With this one I announce a 2-week hiatus period. I am finishing some work-related projects, and I need a few days where I don't have to remind myself about writing.  
> It might be less, maybe I suddenly upload the next chapter, but don't get your hopes up.  
> I am looking forward to publishing it, I've gotten feedback about my writing and I have more ideas than ever to continue giving them to you.
> 
> I've also found a problem with the formatting that I am trying to solve, since in Rich Text everything appears alright but then it doesn't. I've edited the previous chapters so the formatting and thoughts appear correectly, hopefully it appears well here as well.
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments, and remember that you can participate in the hashtag #TWICETGFI.

**Some beach in Sao Paulo, Day Two**

 

“Can you pass the container?”

 

Jeongyeon was crouching, with a transparent plastic bag on her left hand, looking at the sand. It was the first time she traveled somewhere so far away and without any family, and it was a remarkable experience. A remarkably bad experience.

 

Chaeyoung appeared without saying anything with a small glass container, and in the same silent way, Jeongyeon grabbed it. She put the container on the ground, pushing sand into it. She heard a sigh coming from above, at which she shut her eyes, trying to forget about the twitching in her jaw. It appeared everytime the assistant complained about something, which was once every three minutes.

 

(They had arrived at the beach. Jeongyeon smiled, enjoying the warmth of the sun, and hoping they could get into the water for a break in a few hours. Chaeyoung had groaned. Jeongyeon guessed that maybe she wasn’t a fan of beaches. She was a marine biologist, however.

 

Some tourists had appeared, walking past them. Jeongyeon had respectfully bowed to them, apologizing for using such a big setup. Chaeyoung grunted. Jeongyeon guessed she didn’t feel comfortable working around with people. She worked in a laboratory with 50+ people, however.

 

A crab had fallen trying to get out from his small cave, and got turned upside down. Jeongyeon had laughed, almost falling from her chair. She quickly got up and set the crab on its way. Chaeyoung rolled her eyes.

 

Jeongyeon thought that maybe Chaeyoung didn’t like her.)

 

Closing the little pot, the oldest walked towards their improvised “lab-on-site”, as Jeongyeon had named it. It was as nice as it could get: two tables put together, a microscope, every stationery item they could need, a portable fridge and a parasol. The blonde woman sat down the chair, leaving the bag and removing her gloves, cleaning her hands with some paper. She looked over to her left as quietly as she could. Chaeyoung was writing, as she always did: with the paper at 45º degrees, turning her head to the left - “ _Doesn’t she get neck pain?”_ \- and with both legs crossed one over the other.

 

“Do you.. would you like to go in the water?”

 

Chaeyoung doesn’t answer for a few seconds. Then, she leaves the pen on the table, and takes a deep breath.

 

“Nah, you go.”


	5. Last to Leave the Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When it’s clear to everybody  
> I’m always the last to know  
> I heard what you said  
> But I’m not ready yet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Another chapter here. The fifth one!  
> Hopefully the formatting problems get solved.. let me know if it looks weird!
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments, and remember that you can participate in the hashtag #TWICETGFI.  
> I hope everyone is enjoying the summer, take care of yourselves.

**Some other beach in Sao Paulo, Day Three**

 

Chaeyoung woke up sweating, again. Not just because of the heat. Her head was pulsing, and a feeling of nausea had appeared in the pit of her stomach. She touched her tummy, looking at it with a frowned expression. It was only 4AM, and the only person she could ask for help probably hated her — and also was sleeping, if the snores from the other side of the wall were anything to go by.

 

She tried to lift herself up slowly, eyes closed and breathing deeply. That’s until the image of Jeongyeon’s appeared on her head. The older girl had tried to be friendly to her, but Chaeyoung wasn’t able to be, at least, respectful.  _ Even with the jet-lag, this is no way of treating a senior..  _ The short girl facepalmed, focusing on getting ready for the long day ahead instead.

 

(“Nah, you go.”

 

Jeongyeon covered her face, mumbling a “so this is how it’s gonna go…” to herself. 

 

Chaeyoung turned around to avoid watching Jeongyeon go into the water.  _ How hard can it be to explain yourself, Chae? Just once. _ )

 

Since that interaction, the oldest hadn’t muttered a word to her, only an e-mail, asking “to have the reports ready to scan tomorrow,  _ please _ ”. And Chaeyoung had prepared them, already, but not given them. It’s not like her attitude had been correct in Korea either, and sure, she was having a bad day but she didn’t want this to happen. Not with her, precisely. Jeongyeon herself hadn’t done much to improve the relationship, feeling like Chaeyoung simply didn’t want to be approached. 

 

_ And it’s all on me. _ She turned off the water.  _ As always. _

 

She looked herself in the mirror, with a bit of disgust.  _ If this is how you treat your crushes, you better not crush on anybody. _ Her brows furrowed.  _ You know what? _

 

Someone on the other side of the wall woke up, siting on her bed. 

 

_ I’m her senior. I will talk to her. We’ll do our jobs well, she likes it or not. _


End file.
